The object of the invention is a device for the in vivo purification of blood, with which blood pumped out of a vein is subjected to intensive ultrafiltration, the filtrate being reintroduced into the vein along with a corresponding volume of a substitute fluid. The device is particularly suited for filtering out substances introduced in high concentrations in intraarterial chemotherapy before the venous blood enters the heart and the systemic circulation.
The ultrafiltration of human blood in the case of kidney failure, whose object is to achieve a kidney replacement function, is well-known. The blood is withdrawn from an artery and under its own pressure is conducted through an ultrafilter or a so-called hemofilter and the filtrate is returned to a vein, under certain conditions along with a substitute fluid.
In intraarterial chemotherapy, particularly in the treatment of tumors, it is desirable to apply the appropriate chemotherapeutic agents to the area of treatment in the highest possible concentration. In the past toxicity and other secondary effects have limited compatability and thus too the maximum possible dosage.